When I address anything related to cleaning Berber carpet in this post I am speaking specifically about modern and domestic rugs with synthetic fibers. They will have continuous yarns in parallel rows forming looped ends on the face of the carpet. The name “Berber” is derived from a North African tribe and therefore we do have some old and exotic Berber rugs out there.
When attempting the cleaning of Berber, be it spot removal or regular cleaning, there are a few things to keep in mind. Many issues arise due to slow drying, over wetting and high Ph cleaning solutions. For an understanding of basic tools and techniques of carpet cleaning I suggest watching a short video after reading this.
Problems caused by slow drying may be the result of over wetting, insufficient vacuuming during wet cleaning, humidity and or poor air movement in the area cleaned. A thorough pre-vacuuming of dry soils prior to cleaning, using the proper pre-spray and a few minutes of dwell time may help reduce the need for excess moisture during the cleaning process. As the carpet dries, if spots and stains return, or if it looks dingy after a few hours, your carpet may have dried too slowly.
Understanding fiber characteristics is crucial to a successful cleaning also. The 2 main fibers used in domestic Berber’s construction are olefin and nylon. Olefin is sometimes called poly-olefin or polypropylene too.
Olefin is very oil loving, has a lower melting point and isn’t as durable as nylon. However olefin is for the most part colorfast. Nylon is more expensive but resists crushing better than olefin over time and sun bleaching is less of a concern too. But, high alkaline cleaning agents and chlorine bleach will strip out the color. Carpets that appear to have a brown or yellow tint after cleaning most likely dried with an alkaline residue remaining in the carpet. A corrective rinse may be needed.
In summary, when cleaning Berber carpets dry vacuum dry soils out first. Choose and use the proper pre spray and allow the product some dwell time. A slow drying Berber will cause problems so take extra vacuum passes and get some air moving over the area. Using an acidic rinse agent will help reduce the chances of browning and leave carpets bright and residue free.